Natural Woes: I LOVE washing my hair BUT......(VENT)

[Perfexion]

I just logged on to LHCF after months of ghosting to post the same thing. I love my hair texture and I love washing my hair but detangling and styling is what I hate the most! I wash my hair in twists just like all the natural gurus tell me to do but my detangling my hair is so bad that I have permanently clogged my shower drain. Like seriously, every neighborhood plumber knows me by name and they probably all think I'm going bald. Plus I can't cornrow or twist so I pretty much just LOC and bun every week but it seems to have broken off my edges. Now I bun with a scarf but I think it looks terrible. I was going to get professional braids or twists but I have a baby and no one can watch her for 6 hours on the weekend while I get my hair done. I'm glad you posted this. I've never been so close to just saying Phuket and getting a perm in my life! I have no advice because I'm in the same boat. Just know I feel your pain!

 

[faithVA]

I just logged on to LHCF after months of ghosting to post the same thing. I love my hair texture and I love washing my hair but detangling and styling is what I hate the most! I wash my hair in twists just like all the natural gurus tell me to do but my detangling my hair is so bad that I have permanently clogged my shower drain. Like seriously, every neighborhood plumber knows me by name and they probably all think I'm going bald. Plus I can't cornrow or twist so I pretty much just LOC and bun every week but it seems to have broken off my edges. Now I bun with a scarf but I think it looks terrible. I was going to get professional braids or twists but I have a baby and no one can watch her for 6 hours on the weekend while I get my hair done. I'm glad you posted this. I've never been so close to just saying Phuket and getting a perm in my life! I have no advice because I'm in the same boat. Just know I feel your pain!

I can't help you with the actually hair, but a good drain cover will only cost you $10 to $20. I have one in my shower and one in my sink. Even if you have to try a few, it would cost less than having a plumber come out.

 

[ElevatedEnergy]

I'm the total opposite. I love styling my hair but I don't care too much for the wash process. Oh how I would love to just lay back at the shampoo bowl, close my eyes and have my stylist shampoo my hair while giving me a scalp massage and a good deep condition. I could just go home after that, let my it's a 10 leave in practically detangle my hair on it's own and then roller set. I would be in hair heaven!!!

 

[LivingInPeace]

I finally stopped procrastinating and washed my hair last night. It only took me twenty minutes to detangle. I used a lot of conditioner and small sections.

 

[chrisanddonniesmommy]

southerncitygirl

REALLY???? GIrl, WHAT is your secret!??!? I don't think I can even wash and detangle in that amount of time. Shoot.......deep conditioning ALONE takes me 30 min. AT LEAST!

There's GOTTA be an easier way to deal/handle/style/wash natural hair.....

I refuse to believe that it's THIS hard alllll the time if you want LONG natural hair.


I need your secrets

It takes me an hour. All I do is wrap my hair in a t-shirt for about five minutes to get it damp, not drippy. Section it in six or seven parts. Apply leave-in, oil, and styling cream to each section and comb from tip to root. Have the t.v. or some music running. It makes the time speed up.

 

[Crystalicequeen123]

It seems like after my surgery, my hair has become drier and the curl pattern is off. Now I'm living in NO SHINE CITY. I think because of the anesthesia my hair has stopped growing for a while. After I flat-iron, I wear my hair in a half up/half down style. Girl, my hair looked SICK! I mean, no volume at all.

I've been using Cathy Howse's products for about 8 years and always get great results. I don't know if she changed the formula or what, but I can't the lush locks I used to with these products. It may just be my hair. I just wish my hormone levels (or whatever it is) would just get back to normal so I can grow some hair again. I used to have below bra strap length my left side and because it kept growing so fast I would trim it so that the other side would catch up. Now, there is no growing going on. On another note, my fingernails are growing fast but I don't particular care for long nails so I'd gladly trade fast-growing nails for fast-growing hair.

Blackbird77
Awww...I'm so sorry to hear that you've been going through that girl... I'm sure that's frustrating...especially when you know what your hair USED to look like.

But don't give up hope!!!

You may have to try low manipulation styles for a while as you heal. Maybe try a style where you don't have to be handling it so much.

Have you tried upping your vitamin intake? Maybe that might help in the long-run. It might take months before you see some REAL results, but I'm sure it can't hurt. Also, try adding some more oils to your hair and even to your diet (Omega 3, Cod Liver,etc) and see if maybe that helps with the sheen/shine a little bit.

Hang in there!!

I just logged on to LHCF after months of ghosting to post the same thing. I love my hair texture and I love washing my hair but detangling and styling is what I hate the most! I wash my hair in twists just like all the natural gurus tell me to do but my detangling my hair is so bad that I have permanently clogged my shower drain. Like seriously, every neighborhood plumber knows me by name and they probably all think I'm going bald. Plus I can't cornrow or twist so I pretty much just LOC and bun every week but it seems to have broken off my edges. Now I bun with a scarf but I think it looks terrible. I was going to get professional braids or twists but I have a baby and no one can watch her for 6 hours on the weekend while I get my hair done. I'm glad you posted this. I've never been so close to just saying Phuket and getting a perm in my life! I have no advice because I'm in the same boat. Just know I feel your pain!

Perfexion
Aww...it's okay girl. Just knowing that someone else is in my same boat helps tremendously.

Maybe those of us ladies who are all "fed up" with our natural hair can each help each OTHER and encourage one another not to give up!

It takes me an hour. All I do is wrap my hair in a t-shirt for about five minutes to get it damp, not drippy. Section it in six or seven parts. Apply leave-in, oil, and styling cream to each section and comb from tip to root. Have the t.v. or some music running. It makes the time speed up.

chrisanddonniesmommy
Hmmm.....thanks for the tips! I may have to try this! Even parting my hair in sections can be a tangled chore at times... erplexed

 

[Crystalicequeen123]

Okay I have an UPDATE Ladies!!!

Okay, so over the past couple of days I've been feeling really discouraged, so I decided to start looking at some YouTube videos of some naturals who have my hair texture (4a/b) and seeing how THEY detangle, wash, condition, and style their hair.

Well, I came across this YouTuber (GirlsLoveYourCurls) who has some REALLY good advice for how she does her children's hair, but it turns out that her techniques can also be used on ADULT natural hair!

So, since I seem to be having issues with RETAINING length due to all of the tangles (my hair tangles easily), frustration, and lack of styling talent....I decided that I'm going to try her African Threading method, and try REALLY hard to KEEP my hair stretched, to see if I see a difference in the health and length of my hair over the next few months. I think this is the secret to longer, tangle-free (or LESS tangled ) 4a/b hair.

I already detangled my hair yesterday while watching a movie. Tonight I will actually be washing, conditioning and threading my hair. I have to do it in two stages, because I usually workout after work, and there's just not enough time for me to workout, then come home, cook dinner, EAT dinner, detangle, wash, condition, and start to STYLE my hair all in one night.

SO, I did the detangling last night, wore my hair pulled back in a bun/banana clip today for work, and then will be washing, conditioning, and threading my hair TONIGHT!!

*crossing my fingers* I'm hoping it goes well.

If this method works well for me, then I might have found a way to keep my hair stretched, and tangle-free in BETWEEN my wash days. After stretching with the threaded style for a couple of days, THEN maybe I can style my straightened STRETCHED hair into another style that hangs a little more and is free of tangles.

Seems like a win-win situation for me!


Here's the link to the GirlsLoveYourCurls YouTuber just in case you all are interested!

Here are a few of her videos:

Detangling Children's Natural Hair -Tear free! (Pre-wash)


Washing Children's Natural Hair and Exfoliating the Scalp


Deep Conditioning/Moisturizing Natural Hair


Stretching natural hair without heat - The GirlsLoveYourCurls Super Stretch Method


African Threaded Corkscrew Box Braids


African Threading For Grown-Ups!

 

[Blairx0]

Good luck on your method. While I have never tried threading Rollerseting had the same great effects for me.

 

[Phoenix14]

I can't help you with the actually hair, but a good drain cover will only cost you $10 to $20. I have one in my shower and one in my sink. Even if you have to try a few, it would cost less than having a plumber come out.

You know you have to share which one you use right?

 

[faithVA]

Phoenix14;19813993[/USER]]You know you have to share which one you use right?

I don't have a picture of the one I use for the sink but it works wonderfully. I purchased it from Pleasant's Hardware. It was only $3.

I use this one in my shower. It works fabulously. This works best if you have a stand alone shower with the flat drain in the middle. You can get it from Amazon or Bed Bath and Beyond.


OXO Good Grips Shower Stall Drain Protector.

If you have a tub you can check out the Tub mesh strainers on Amazon.

The OXO Good Grips Shower/Tub Drain Protector works too. I like the Shower Stall better because it is easier to clean and less hair gets through.


Even if they don't work perfectly, something is better than nothing. Letting all of that hair go down the drain is

I have a cover every place I do my hair because I am a heavy shedder and I tend to have a lot of breakage.

 

[ladybug71]

Just sounds like hair styling burn out. Just take a break. Get some braids or kinky twists. A 4-6 week break is a nice treat sometimes.

Co-signing on this. I am one year into my natural hair and OMG at wash day and detangling. Takes forever! I have been in crochet braids for about a month and the break/extra time in the a.m. and on weekends that I am not fussing with my hair has been great! I will be getting them removed next week (cause I miss my hair ) but I think putting my hair away awhile from time to time is needed.

 

[ellebelle88]

I'm in a funk with my hair as well. I have three signature go-to styles and I'm sick of them. I feel plain and ugly when I do them now. I also hate wash day. It takes forever for me to do all the works on my hair and I lose so much hair and have so many tangles in the shower that its frustrating and I hate washing my hair. I now just detangle, wash and style and it takes me under an hour but that means eliminating deep conditioning and my hair is really suffering for it. But I just don't feel like spending a whole da*n day prepooing, doing protein treatments, followed up with moisturizing conditioner, jumping in and out of the shower five or six times!! Ugh!!

I have looked on youtube for style ideas and every style I've tried I've failed at it, or it looks horrible on me. I even tried braid hairstyles but hate the way I look with yarn braids and the faux locs I attempted take way tooo long.

I don't know what to do with my hair at this point, but I don't want to deal with it for at least a month.

 

[Blackbird77]

Yes girl!!! You know how it feels! Plus, you have fine-textured hair like me so we BOTH know how easy it is to get tangles and breakage.. Awww....what did your hair look like after you flat-ironed it?? What do you mean it didn't look like how it used to?? Did you use the right products??:

After flat-ironing it, it doesn't appear full anymore. It looks terrible with chewed up ends although I keep trimming them. After straightening, it used to look like baby doll hair or as my mom would say, "Are you wearing a wig?" Ponytails with a decorative clip would look so full and luscious but now I straighten it halfway and get so disgusted I don't even finish and end up washing it and calling it a day.